MATH LESSON

Grade 3, 1-2 Periods long

COUNTING TO A MILLION

Purpose - The students will gain a better undrstanding of big numbers and their magnitude, and connect this knowledge to the concept of place value as it relates to whole numbers. Students will appreciate the value of numbers and mathematics in our daily lives as a tool to better understand the universe, and to enliven and exercise their minds (and bodies!).

Main Points

• If you can count to ten, you can count to one hundred. If you can count to one hundred, you can count to a million (and higher)!
• Even a very big number is just made of many smaller numbers.
• How long does it take to count to 100? To a thousand? To l,000,000?
• Today we will be counting to 100 three different ways. We will also count to a million (by hundred thousands).

Objectives for learning

• Students will be able to count forward to 100 by 10's, 2's and ones.
• Students will understand and apply basic and advanced concepts of numbers. (Math Standard #2)
• Students will understand concept of place value as it relates to whole numbers (Math Benchmark 3.2.1)

Materials

• Worksheets #1 - #4
• How Much Is a Million? by David Schwartz
• Overhead and transparencies

Review -Count to ten with your whole body. At the lowest point (near floor) is one. The highest point you can reach (tippy toe) is ten. (Have them count as a class and move accordingly.)

Attention Step

• We will also count to 100 three different ways: by 10's, 2's and ones. (Have them count to 100 by 10's, moving their bodies as they did earlier.)
• Model on overhead with Worksheet #1. Mark ou 10's, have class count by 10's to 100, row by row, while pointing to appropriate number.

WHOLENESS FOR LESSON - Read book How Much is a Million?

Procedures

• Model on worksheets on overhead
• Have class count to 100, taking turns by rows. Time it. Get predictions of how long they think it would take to count to 100, 1000, a million.
• Have them divide into pairs. With worksheet #1, have them work together to color in the 10's column and count by tens to 100, saying each number out loud.
• Then have them color in the even numbers (as previously modeled on overhead) and count by 2's to 100.
• Have them fill out blank hundreds sheet, both writng and saying each number out loud from one to 100.
• Model how to fill out worksheets #3 - #4. Model how to say the large numbers and be sure to put in the appropriate commas.

Fulfillment - Summarize what they have done.

• Counted by 2's, 10's, and ones to 100, collectively and in pairs.
• Filled out Worksheets #1 - #4.
• Better understood "how much is a million" (or a billion, or a trillion) and how to write and say each number.

Closure - Have whole class count to one millon by one hundred thousands with their bodies, as before, starting with 100,000 close to the floor and ending with a million on their tippy toes. Everyone cheers!

Homework - Finish Worksheets

Assessment Strategies

• Go over worksheets, correct, and amend their understanding, have them redo if necessary.
• As follow up, go over worksheets, reinforcing place values of tens, hundreds, thousands, etc.
• Model on overhead how to write out big numbers.
• Give a quiz where you give them big numbers written out in words and have them write the appropriate numerals and vice versa